Pool table and quick rack system

ABSTRACT

A pool table quick rack system in which a triangular rack is seated in a triangular carrier in a triangular opening at one end of the pool table. The ball return channels of the pool table terminate so as to deliver the balls into the top of the rack in the triangular carrier. When all of the balls have returned to the rack the carrier with rack and balls is removed from the triangular opening in the table and placed on top of the table. The carrier is then slid forwardly while the rack is held in its position against the cushion until the rack is completely disengaged from the carrier. The racked balls are then moved to the correct position on the table and the rack is removed and replaced in the triangular carrier and the carrier and rack are replaced in the triangular opening in the pool table. A handle on the carrier is positioned high enough above the balls in the rack so as to permit the rack to be disengaged from the carrier when the balls in the rack are stacked and some of the balls have not moved to the correct position in the rack.

United States Patent [1 1 Kremski Dec. 30, 1975 1 POOL TABLE AND QUICK RACK SYSTEM [76] Inventor: Jacob Kremski, 10440 South State Road, Goodrich, Mich. 48438 221 Filed: Feb. 28, 1975 211 Appl No.: 553,992

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 496,182, Aug. 9,

1974, abandoned.

Primary ExaminerRichard .l. Apley Assistant Examiner-T. Brown Attorney, Agent, or FirmVictor J. Evans & Co.

[57] ABSTRACT A pool table quick rack system in which a triangular rack is seated in a triangular carrier in a triangular opening at one end of the pool table. The ball return channels of the pool table terminate so as to deliver the balls into the top of the rack in the triangular carrier. When all of the balls have returned to the rack the carrier with rack and balls is removed from the triangular opening in the table and placed on top of the table. The carrier is then slid forwardly while the rack is held in its position against the cushion until the rack is completely disengaged from the carrier. The racked balls are then moved to the correct position on the table and the rack is removed and replaced in the triangular carrier and the carrier and rack are replaced in the triangular opening in the pool table. A handle on the carrier is positioned high enough above the 'balls in the rack so as to permit the rack to be disen- 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 496,182, filed Aug. 9,

1974 (now abandoned) entitled Pool Table Quick Rack System.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pool table quick rack system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The pool table quick rack system of the present invention includes a conventional pool table modified to receive a triangular rack carrier and rack positioned to receive balls from the ball return channel of the table. The triangular rack carrier includes a triangular bottom wall and upstanding converging side walls. A handle structure spans the side walls to provide means for manipulating the triangular carrier and is at a height such as to permit the rack to be withdrawn from the carrier under the handle when one or more of the balls are stacked on the bottom row of balls. The rear of the triangular carrier is open so that a conventional triangular rack may be inserted therein by a sliding action. The rack carrier and rack with balls therein is removed from the opening in the table and placed on the top of the table where the rack is held stationary and the carrier is moved forwardly to disengage the carrier completely from the rack and balls. The balls are then spotted in the correct position on the table and the rack is removed following which the rack carrier and rack are returned to their position within the table to receive the balls.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a pool table quick rack system which is inexpensive to manufacture and which materially speeds up the ball racking-process of a pool game.

Other objects and advantages will becomeapparent in the following specification when considered in light of the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the table end, rack carrier and rack;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of the invention;

' FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of another modified form of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, of the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally a pool table quick rack system constructed in accordance with the invention.

The system 10 includes a rectangular pool table 11 having a plurality of pockets 12, 13, 1.4, 15, 16 and 17. The pockets 12 through 17 open downwardly through the playing surface 18 in a conventional manner.

A channel 19 extends from the pocket 12 beneath the playing surface 18 toward the center of the table and slopes downwardly away from the pocket 12. A similar channel 20 extends from the pocket 13. Channels-21, 22, 23, 24 extend respectively inwardly and downwardly from the pockets 14 through 17. A central channel 25 extends toward one end of the table 11 and communicates with each of the channels 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 so that the poolballs falling in any one of the pockets 12 through 17 will be delivered through the central channel 25.

The end wall 26 of the table 10 is at the end of the pool table 11 toward which the central channel 25 slopes. The end wall 26 has an aperture 27 formed therein having inwardly converging side walls 28, 29 and a bottom wall 30. The bottom wall 30 and the converging side walls 28, 29 extend into the table to a position underlying the outlet end 31 of the chennel 25. The aperture 27 has upwardly sloping top walls 32, 33

. for reasons to be assigned. A ball rack carrier generally indicated at 34 has a triangular bottom wall 35 supporting and secured to a pair of upstanding converging side walls 36, 37. A pair of upwardly sloping top walls 38, 39 extend inwardly and upwardly from the side walls 36, 37 at the end thereof opposite their juncture as can be clearly seen in FIG. 3. The top walls 38, 39 are joined by an arcuate top center wall 40 having an upstanding handle 41 formed therein. The handle 41 has a finger grip opening 42 to make the handling of the carrier 34 simpler.

A conventional triangular pool rack 43 is adapted to be slid completely into the carrier 34 and supported on the bottom wall 35 as can be seen in FIG. 2. The arcuate top center wall 40 has a height above the bottom wall 30 sufficient to accommodate pool balls in the rack 43 and pool balls stacked thereon which have not moved into their correct position in the rack 43. In FIG. 2 it can be seen how the poolballs stack below the arcuate top center wall 40 under these conditions and it can be clearly seen that the rack 43 can be withdrawn from the carrier 44 without the necessity of moving all of the balls into their proper position in the rack 43.

In the use and operation of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 the carrier 34 is inserted in the aperture 27 in the pool table 11 so that rack 43 underliesthe discharge end 31 of the central channel 25. With the carrier 34 and the rack 43 in place in the aperture 27 balls B feed down the channels 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 after having dropped through the pockets l2, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 and then drop into the rack 43 supported on the carrier 34. After all the balls B have dropped into the rack 43 the carrier 34 is' removed from the aperture 27 by using the handle 41 and finger opening 42 and is placed on the playing surface 18 of the table 11. The rack 43 and rack carrier 34 are then separated by sliding the rack 43 out of the rack carrier 34 rearwardly away from the converging side walls 36, 37. The rack carrier 34 is then returned to its position in the aperture 27. The rack 43 is then used in the conventional manner to spot the ball B and then the rack 43 is removed and inserted into the rack carrier 34 to begin another game.

In FIG. 4 a modified pool table carrier is indicated generally at 44'. The carrier 34' includes a bottom wall 35' and converging side walls 36, 37' which extend perpendicularly upwardly from the bottom wall 35. Top walls 38 39' extend inwardly from the upper edges of the converging side walls 36' 37 and support upstanding handle forming walls 40' 41 arranged in spaced apart parallel relation. A top wall 42' extends between the walls 40' 42 parallel to the bottom wall 35' and spaced substantially upwardly therefrom. The space from the bottom wall 35' to the handle wall 42' is sufficient to accommodate a rack 43 with balls B stacked rather than in their regular position in the rack 43 and permits the rack 43 to be withdrawn from the carrier 34' without the necessity of causing all of the balls to move into their proper position in the rack 43. The top walls 38' 39' are spaced apart a distance to form elongate opening 44 in the top of the carrier 34' to receive the balls B. The pool table 1 1 would have the aperture 37 thereof modified slightly in shape to receive the carrier 34' when this is used.

The rack carrier 34 and rack carrier 34' are preferably formed of molded plastic and are of one piece construction.

In FIGS. and 6 a modified pool table quick rack system is indicated generally at 110. The system 110 includes a pool table 111 having conventional pockets (not shown) and conventional individual channelways (not shown) which feed into a central channelway 125.

The pool table 111 has an end wall 126 having aperture 127 formed therein. The aperture 127 has forwardly converging side walls 128, 129 extending upwardly from a triangular bottom wall 130. Aperture 127 extends into the table 111 to underlie the discharge end 131 of the central channelway 125.

A generally rectangular opening 132 extends upwardly from the aperture 127 for reasons to be assigned.

A triangular rack carrier indicated generally at 134 includes a triangular bottom wall 135 and a pair of upstanding converging side walls 136 and 137. A plate 138 connects the top edges of the side walls 136, 137 adjacent the rear ends thereof.

The upstanding handle 141 is rigidly secured to the plate 138 intermidiate the opposite ends thereof to provide a convenient device for moving the rack carrier 134 with a triangular rack 143 positioned therein. It should be noted the side walls 136, 137 of the rack carrier 134 are substantially higher than the side walls of the rack 143 so that the balls B may have room to move about as they are dropped in the rack 143 from 4 the ball return channel 125. The height of the plate 138 above the bottom wall 135 is sufficient to permit the rack 143 to be withdrawn there under with the balls B stacked as illustrated in FIG. 6 prior to the balls reaching their proper position in the rack 143.

The use and operation of the pool table quick rack system is identical to that of the use and operation of the system 10.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the invention it should be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is: v

l. A pool table and quick rack system therefor, said table having pockets opening into a plurality of ball return channels positioned beneath the table, an aperture formed in said table adjacent one end thereof, a bottom wall in said aperture positioned to underlie the discharge end of said channels, said rack system comprising a triangular rack carrier removably positioned in said aperture on said bottom wall, said rack carrier including a triangular bottom wall, a pair of generally upright forwardly converging side walls joined at the forward portion of said carrier, a handle for moving said carrier, a triangular rack removably positioned in said carrier, and means integral with said handle extending between said side walls and integral therewith for supporting said handle substantially above the triangular bottom wall sufficiently to permit movement of said rack into and out of said carrier with one or more balls supported on the balls lying on said triangular bottom wall.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means on said rack carrier for supporting a handle comprises upwardly sloping top walls integrally extending from the upper edges of said converging side walls, said handle including an arcuate wall integrally joining the adjacent ends of said upwardly sloping top walls and extending upwardly therefrom.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means supporting a handle on said carrier comprises a pair of inwardly extending top walls rigidly secured to the upper edges of said side walls adjacent the rear thereof opposite the converging ends thereof and spaced upwardly from said triangular bottom wall of said carrier with said handle rigidly secured to said top walls and overlying the central portion of said carrier. 

1. A pool table and quick rack system therefor, said table having pockets opening into a plurality of ball return channels positioned beneath the table, an aperture formed in said table adjacent one end thereof, a bottom wall in said aperture positioned to underlie the discharge end of said channels, said rack system comprising a triangular rack carrier removably positioned in said aperture on said bottom wall, said rack carrier including a triangular bottom wall, a pair of generally upright forwardly converging side walls joined at the forward portion of said carrier, a handle for moving said carrier, a triangular rack removably positioned in said carrier, and means integral with said handle extending between said side walls and integral therewith fOr supporting said handle substantially above the triangular bottom wall sufficiently to permit movement of said rack into and out of said carrier with one or more balls supported on the balls lying on said triangular bottom wall.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means on said rack carrier for supporting a handle comprises upwardly sloping top walls integrally extending from the upper edges of said converging side walls, said handle including an arcuate wall integrally joining the adjacent ends of said upwardly sloping top walls and extending upwardly therefrom.
 3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means supporting a handle on said carrier comprises a pair of inwardly extending top walls rigidly secured to the upper edges of said side walls adjacent the rear thereof opposite the converging ends thereof and spaced upwardly from said triangular bottom wall of said carrier with said handle rigidly secured to said top walls and overlying the central portion of said carrier. 